Search location by ZIP code

NEWS ARCHIVE

Landrieu proposes changes to Sewerage & Water Board

Plans include board member reduction

Mayor Mitch Landrieu wants to reduce the number of board members on the Sewerage and Water Board and decrease the time they serve.

Landrieu proposes changes to Sewerage & Water Board

Plans include board member reduction

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 1:00 PM CST Nov 13, 2012

NEW ORLEANS —

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced a series of proposals Tuesday to reform the Sewerage and Water board.

His plan included reducing the size of the board by four members, reducing the size from 13 members to nine.

Advertisement

The reduction would remove the three City Council members and one citizen appointed by the mayor from the board.

The length of terms would also be reduced from nine to six years, the mayor said. Board members would be limited to serving two consecutive terms.

"For too long the Sewerage and Water Board has been hurting," Landrieu said. "This is a problem that cannot be denied -- it is impossible to just keep kicking the can down the road."

The new board will include the mayor serving as its president, two members from the Board of Liquidation, which is appointed by the mayor, and six citizens who have experience in finance, business administration, engineering, law, public health and community or consumer advocacy.

The members will be selected by the mayor from nominations made by local university presidents from Tulane University, the University of New Orleans, Loyola University, Southern University of New Orleans, Dillard University and Xavier University.

“As it currently stands, it is clear to me that it does not have what it needs in terms of infrastructure and funding to serve the city of New Orleans. Post-Katrina, the Sewerage and Water Board’s network of underground pipes is leaking at least 40 percent of its water and the East Bank of the city has faced multiple boil water advisories because of catastrophic outages at the power plant,” Landrieu said.

“Repairing our city’s infrastructure is essential and with it comes an opportunity to create thousands of jobs for New Orleanians,” the mayor said. “But in order to move forward on a rate increase, we must reform the Sewerage and Water Board. Today, I am proposing a series of major reforms that are targeted at increasing performance and accountability of the Sewerage and Water Board so that all citizens of New Orleans can have peace of mind that they are receiving the highest level of service from this important public utility.”

The proposals will require changes to state law and the City Charter. Below are the steps the city said will need to be taken in order to make the recommended changes in 2013:

March 8 – deadline to advertise twice for each proposed state law change;

April 8 – filing deadline for state law changes and start of 2013 Regular Legislative Session;

July – once governor signs bill, introduce City Council ordinance to call for an election;

July 17 – deadline for State Bond Commission proposition;

August – State Bond Commission meeting;

September – voting changes that are subject to an election must be approved by U.S. Department of Justice (the restructuring of board composition qualifies); and

Oct. 19 – Citywide election on charter changes (must be at least 90 days after Council ordinance is introduced).

Council members said that's just fine with them.

"The council does not belong on the board we do not have the expertise and we do not have the time," Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson said.

The proposed plan needs approval from both voters and state lawmakers. Many elected leaders are already on board.

"Business and residential customers need to know this board is serious and we are one step closer to fighting that culture of corruption that has tainted the city -- and the Sewerage and Water Board has been at the nexus of that," state Sen. J.P. Morrell said.

Morrell and Rep. Walt Leger III will handle the S&WB reform bills for the Landrieu administration in the Louisiana Legislature next spring.

"One of the things we work to do is to restructure government so it works better," Landrieu said.